Stuck in Verify Photo ID

[HoaiAnh0]

So this is my first time using Airbnb, when I press the Request to book button, Airbnb asked me to verify my ID (using passport, visa, ec.) The problem is the system keep insisting that my government ID photo and the photo (selfie) I just took myself doesn't match.

Customer Support didn't help much but tell me to try links to links but the result doesn't change. I've tried with my passport photo is both scanned or taken by phone, my selfie is well-lit. I'm a foreigner living abroad and, I just want to book a room and I don't want my first time experience here become something full of hatred. Would appreciate any suggestion!

Thanks in advanced.

[Ric29058]

Same.  No more Airbnb for me.  More trouble than it's worth.

[Amanda1973]

I also had trouble verifying my photo to id and solved this by downloading the airbnb app, adding a profile pic and location, then submit verification photo, good luck!

[Theodore72]

Yeah, photo verification sucks! I'm a first timer, and just about didn't go through the BS. 1st, I don't trust any place having my photo ID and credit card information together. Do I get to see a photo ID of the host? Second, the process didn't work properly, I uploaded a photo as requested, then It wanted a photo ID, then I asked to take a photo, and tried to UP load a photo using the Airbnb process, that was impossibly. Finely I went back and used my web cam and up loaded the photo. This may be good for the host, but not the guest. I wish I could find some way to complain to Airbnb, but it's impossible, I can just imagine the customer service I WON'T get if I have a problem.

[Sarah977]

@Theodore72  You are somewhat unclear on who this information is available to. You are not giving this info to the host- you are uploading it to Airbnb. Hosts do not see your ID, or your credit card info. All we hosts see is "Verified ID" on your profile, to know that you have provided that information to Airbnb. 

Yes, you do see most hosts' profile photos attached to their listings. Hosts only see a guest's photo after a booking has been confirmed. We also only are privy to your phone number after a booking is confirmed, and at that point, you are also given the host's phone number.

Some hosts do ask guests for ID, at least to see it when you check in. This is to assure that the person who shows up is the person who booked. In some countries, hosts are required to give copies of guest IDs to the local authorities.

I would point out that hotels also ask for your credit card info and ID.

But yes, you are correct about the Airbnb site being difficult to use. There are a lot of tech issues and the software is poor.

[Timothy393]

I am not going to supply my driving licence. Why I hear you ask, because why do Airbnb need to know what class of vehicles I am allowed to drive! Mine being a UK licence this is the only information on the rear!!

[Jasper59]

Any fixes for this yet? Seen and tried all that ive seen, none working. Been denied over 10 times now and nothing the support team can do to help. I lose my reservation in 4 hours, eeeeeeeeeek!

[Rita2130]

I spent 5 days trying to make a reservation without success. I tried several selfies but none was accepted to confirm my booking. The support team was always very nice, trying to help but they cannot do much about the system. I was very tired, frustrated, disappointed as Airbnb used to be so simple and precise but their automated system turned out to be confusing. I will share here what I did as a guest and hopefully this can help others. After several trials with selfies, even changing my profile picture to be the same as the one that was being submitted as selfie, the only thing that worked for me was when I used another profile for which I had no ID yet and no telephone registered, it was never used. Then I made the reservation with this "new" never used profile. Before processing my payment they asked me to verify a contact number and to submit an ID document, which I did uploading good pictures that I had on my computer (front and back). My picture on the ID is in black and white. If your ID has a colorful picture and it is not accepted, try scanning it for black and white and try again, hopefully it will work. So after this experience I will try going back to the original profile where I have reviews and a history,  I guess I can just swap my existing ID there to the same ID used on the "new" profile. This should solve the problem.

[Peter3050]

I had this today. Spoke at length with support on the phone who were friendly and apologetic, but also very very clear that there's no solution or escalation path here. The only solution is to delete your government ID from your profile (cancelling all your bookings), and re-upload it. Will that churn through several thousand dollars of pending refunds and so on? Yes, yes it will, but Airbnb don't care.

[Sheila546]

Wow. This photo ID upload issue is an even bigger issue than I realized. I am SUPER uncomfortable with uploading through the INTERNET my govt. ID. Period. Tried calling an Airbnb # to discuss and I was on hold forever until I finally hung up. In searching for another way to contact Airbnb, I found this thread, and now I am even more resolved to NOT upload anything to them. Sounds like a complete mess. Plus a little insight into how Airbnb is squeezing its hosts. I get the need for security, but there has to be a better way (short of uploading very personal Govt ID!) to vet hosts and guests so that all parties are comfortable. The current Airbnb set up is an identity theft hacker's dream waiting to happen.  I am happy to show my ID to hotels, etc. when checking in, but that is leagues apart from having a photo of my ID "out there" in the internet ether. Hard Pass.

[Michelle2553]

I am trying to upload my drivers licence and am getting the message that We werent able to confirm your profile.  Please provide a new photo.  I've tried taking the photo of my id on my phone, but get a message that tells me to line up in border then click camera icon, but there is no photo icon on the message.  I've checked you tube, and there is clearly a camera icon on the page to upload photo.  Have tried on my laptop too but keep getting the photo is not ok.  Please help

[Fabian635]

I had the same problem and I guess I figured it out. Seems like the problem was not the selfie, but the uploaded ID, which was a scanned picture I uploaded from my PC. After removing the uploaded ID from my airbnb profile and uploading it again using the Airbnb App (which takes pictures of the ID) it worked.

Really poorly explained process by Airbnb and a gamble if you are stuck in a endless loop after uploading it wrong the first time. 

[Duomo0]

Hi Fabian,

how did you removed your uploaded ID without losing prenotation?

[Helen427]

@Katie @Catherine-Powell 

This is one of the previous Topics about ABB systems been stuck in a rolling loo when there's been IT Glitches/ Bugs in Microsoft & other IT Provider Software Systems and the Plumbing/Roadworks are not connecting properly through NO fault of us users.

Does anyone-else have this issues since they clicked on 'Later' with the Enhanced Cleaning Proceedure on their Mobile devices after the outage on the weekend?

[Rose-and-Roman0]

What a nightmare..... I'm using AirBnB for almost 8 years now, hosting myself for the past 4 years and all of a sudden this!

I tried everything from using my phone and computer to take a picture to updating my Profile Pictures and even tried to use the same color background. Did gain or loose much weight, same haircut/facial hair... 

Only to get the same message back "We weren't able to check that your really you with the photo you took of yourself. 

Tried to call AirBNB and of course they are not taking any calls. Tried to chat with them just to get a generic AI replies. AirBNB I consider switching to VRBO.

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,

so it also happened to me yesterday.

I took a photo of my passport at 11pm to verify my account for a booking. Then the "take a selfie message" appeared and I was literally in my PJs and in bed!!! This whole process seems to be set up by 20 year olds who are always on their phone and ready for selfies lol.
So I swear I put on some makeup, did my hair lol and took this selfie. It got rejected right away - but I only got to know about it upon receiving the blunt e-mail "xy can't host you".
What is this? I did tons of bookings by credit card in my life, have never been on debt etc. Also programmers should be aware that not every customer's passport or license pic is brand new. Use some decent face recognition software that can deal with people's faces changing!
I will truly not spend a single cent on Airbnb and am happy I was able to book the same villa on another platform. Will advise all my contacts to avoid.

[Martin3543]

Made a booking, followed the prompts re photo of my drivers licence and then prompt to take a selfie and waited as they were 'verifying my ID'... and waited.... and waited... then my booking got cancelled 12 hours latter as they didn't meet their own deadline in getting verification... Sooooo, booked again... and waited and waited..... 

I was clean shaven when this started, I now look like father Christmas... and im still waiting....

[Antra12]

Verification Troubleshooting

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**[Link removed due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines

[Helen3]

Can you stop spamming this forum posting links to your company. @Antra12 

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Helen3 

The link was to a relevant solution Helen. It wasn't as though it was linking to a product or purchase page.

The solution is as good as any recently provided by @Andy2334 and @Justin227 

[Justin227]

Hi everyone. I too was struggling with this after several failed attempts to match my selfie (which Airbnb asked me to take in order to publish a new properety) with the government ID picture that Airbnb claims to have on file. This simply didn't work. The cause of the problem was my profile image which was a random photo of my trail running shoes (and has been for years)! I uploaded a new selfie as my profile photo then did a new selfie photo and they were matched immediately. So it is everything to do with your profile photo. Good luck.

[Luke206]

I've found myself stuck in this verification hell now when trying to make a booking (it won't even make the booking, but AirBnB are still happy to take my deposit money it seems - may be needing to have serious words if that doesn't come back immediately).

I cannot seem to get through the process. I've even tried to beat it by taking a 'selfie' of my ID photograph, and taking a 'selfie' of my AirBnB profile picture and nothing will work.